Must-see restaurants in New Orleans

Also known as the 'purple shop' (when you see it, you'll know why), Manchu is a dingy little takeout that is most famous for its fried chicken wings. You…

It’s impossible to nibble a praline from Tee-Eva’s over the course of a day. Trust us, after one bite, you’re a goner for the whole thing – right then…

Rock-n-Sake can be off-putting, especially on weekend nights: it’s perhaps a little too hip. The sushi chefs can look sullen and the music can be too…

This New Orleans spin on haute Asian fusion is popular with business-lunch types, foodies on the prowl for the next big thing and well-heeled tourists. A…

The answer to that perennial question, ‘What happens when you cross a bunch of skinny-jeans-clad hipsters with a tortilla?’, is (ta da) Juan’s. The food…

District makes us feel naughty – and we like it. In the morning, truly decadent donuts lure customers to the counter – we enjoyed the piled-high cookies…

West African cuisine (specifically Cameroonian and Gambian) doesn’t pose too many challenges to the conservative palate. It’s basically meat and potatoes,…

The grease is as prevalent as the '70s rock in this laid-back place, where hipsters in dirty tennis shoes serve hipsters in wool caps. Burgers, shakes,…

The Frenchmen St outpost of this popular local franchise serves sausages ranging from 'duck dogs' to alligator sausage to hot Cajun sausage layered with…

An informal and quiet local spot in the Lower Quarter, Mona Lisa is dim, dark and candlelight-romantic in its own quirky way. Kooky renditions of Da Vinci…

A convenient po’boy place with a fun atmosphere, Mahony’s is a welcome if sometimes expensive choice. Digs are a converted Magazine St house with a tiny…

Need a good breakfast to start your day or to soak up the excesses of the night before? It's the most important meal of the day, and you could do a lot…

Willa Jean sells itself as a contemporary Southern bakery/breakfast and lunch counter – you'll find braised short ribs and poached eggs in a decadent…

More than a name, NOSH tries to live up to the social house example. Inside the bright dining room, communal tables seat diners near each other, who order…

Fins focuses, almost entirely, on fish: freshly caught and prepped so that the flavor of the sea is always accented and never overwhelmed. For New Orleans…

Looking not unlike a large, rectangular eggplant, this bright purple food truck at Boucherie serves up frozen daiquiris and tasty wings, pork, brisket and…

This little restaurant, slotted next to the ribald karaoke at Kajun's, pumps out wonderful bowls of pasta. The homemade sauces are creative and tasty,…

The food is fresh and light but deceptively filling inside this spare and shiny cube. Magasin has an airy coffee-shop vibe, and one almost expects to see…

This ode to the Greatest Generation looks like a 1940s doo-wop diner: white-capped waitstaff beside the tables and black-and-white photos on the wall…

This popular spot near the gay end of Bourbon St resembles an Edward Hopper painting, in which the clientele consists of an out-of-makeup drag queen and a…